The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1887-06-02
Life I'm Honduras.

The native Hondurean is a good
natured, inoffensive, but suspicious
person. 1t takes but little to support
him. A piece of sugar-cane and q
tortilla for a day. So long as he has
that and a wife to haul water, cut
wood, and run the plantation, he is
satisfied. But if he hires out to work
he will work with will. When out at
work their rations consist of four
pounds of pork and seven pounds of
-four per week, and the pay, in addi-
ton, from so to Is cents per day.
The climate is so lovely and tha
temperature so even the people never
have to guard against anything but
hunger, and nature provides for
that, even furnishing a root with
which they make flour to make their
bread, and which contains ninety per
cent. of starch.
There are, however, on this coast,
about fifteen thousand Caribs, who
live by fishing and boating. These
Caribs are the descendants of the
natives of St. Vincent = one of the
Windward Islands-who were de-
ported in 1896 by the English to the
number of five thousand and landed
on the Island of Ruatan. They still
retain their native language. They
are active, fairly Industrious, and
provident.
All of the people in this country
profess the Catholic religion. All of
them, black and white, live in peace
full neighborhood and good under
standing with foreigners; but, so far
as personal safety is concerned, tkis
country is absolutely free from law
lessness. Foreigners pursuing a le-
gitimate business occupation are well
come, not only by the people but
by the Government, and every ia
cility afforded for their protection
under the law. The many lines of
profitable industry in this country are
remarkable. The principal one on
this coast is the growing of bananas.
Bananas yield in nine months after
planting, thence continuously for
seven years, and return a profit of
about $75 per acre per annum. The
cost of clearing and planting bananas
is about 500. per acre. CocOanuts are
also very profitable. Trees that cost
about 81 apiece to grow to maturity
yield annually for a period of fifty
years 81 per tree net per annum.
Oranges are from three to four dollars
per thousand. Lines, or so called
lemons, are not picked. The finest
pine apples in the world are grown
here, but not shipped out of the
country.
The finest coffee grown in Central
America is found in Honduras. Then
there is the cultivation of the rubber
tree. They grow wild, of course, but
the people have nearly exhausted the
forests, and are now turning their
attention to growing this tree, one
planter having several thousand odt.
One acre of ground will produce 16O
trees. The trees are not tapped until
they are from seven to ten years old,
when they yield annually about six
dollars per tree, or about nine hum
dred dollars per acre per annum ever
afterward. Some parties, however,
are claiming that the time of tapping
may be reduced to five or six years.
Sugar-cane attains greater size and
yield in this country than any grown
in the United States; and as for cot
ton, it is claimed that with this soil it
can be made to produce 1900 pounds
ginned cotton to the acre. Every
class of vegetable found in the mar
kets of the United States can be
grown here.-ITuriLlo Letter.